Strathclyde Park Regatta

Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association, energised by their Easter training camp in Germany, put in a strong performance at this weekend’s Strathclyde Park Regatta in a mixture of junior and open events, gaining seven gold and four silver medals.

There was an excellent win for Junior 16 boys Aidan Graham, Danny Skinner, Daniel Lynch and Sam Kelso, coxed by Emily Murdoch, in the final of the Open Restricted 2 Coxed Fours event. The lead changed hands a number of times over the 2km course but ASRA finished strongly to beat nearest challengers Belfast Rowing Club.

Megan Hewison and Abigail Topp pulled away from the opposition in the Women’s Junior 16 Double Sculls and, despite having to repel a late surge from Inverness Rowing Club, hung onto a comfortable victory.

Megan and Abigail then teamed up with Ellie Andrew, Megan Lewis and cox Emily Murdoch to win the Women’s Junior 18 Coxed Four event in emphatic style.

ASRA Junior 15 boys Seth Turner, Chris Bardas, Alexander Beeson and Jakub Zbikowski, coxed by Michael McCrory destroyed the field of 11 other crews in Open Novice Coxed Quadruple Sculls; never looking troubled and galloping away to win with handsome margins in their heat and the final.

The J15 and J16 boys joined forces to score an impressive victory in the final of the Open Restricted 2 Eights. Seth, Aidan, Danny, Chris, Daniel, Sam, Jakub and Alexander were brilliantly spurred into a late charge by cox Michael McCrory to overhaul a three-quarter length deficit in the last 250m and get their bow in front of a composite crew from Clydesdale, Glasgow and Strathclyde University rowing clubs.

Harris MacDonald, Ashley Geddes, Archie Innes and Matthew Hughson, coxed by Connor Kennedy got a scare from their club mates who led them through the halfway mark but eventually eased away to secure victory in the Open Junior 14 Coxed Quadruple Sculls final.

Seth Turner, Chris Bardas, Alexander Beeson and Jakub Zbikowski, ably coxed by Michael McCrory, then rounded off a successful weekend by completing a hatrick of golds; rowing a mature race to grab an outstanding victory in Open Novice Coxed Fours, leaving crews from Durham, Newcastle and Edinburgh universities – some of the UK’s top rowing universities – in their wake.